


Last Christmas

by ShinigamiKnox



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Christmas Dinner, Christmas Fluff, Christmas at the 'rents, Family tension, Fluff, Kylux gift exchange, M/M, Modern AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-27
Updated: 2016-12-27
Packaged: 2018-09-12 17:44:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9082873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShinigamiKnox/pseuds/ShinigamiKnox
Summary: Kylo and Hux visit both Kylo's family and Hux's family for Christmas dinner.Written for the Very Merry Kylux gift exchange for firstordershitposting. Prompt: Awkward family dinners





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [firstordershitposting (ald0us)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ald0us/gifts).



It was the holidays. Hux didn’t understand why that was important, holidays came and went yearly. That didn’t call for his parents insisting on him returning home for dinner. In fact, he hadn’t been home since his second year in college when his father had that mild heart attack. He didn’t understand why this year had to be any different.

Kylo was also insisting on meeting Hux’s parents for some unknown reason. After the pestering from both sides, he finally gave in and promised one dinner on the same night as Kylo’s annual holiday dinner. It wouldn’t be a problem, Hux’s family had a tendency to eat a rather early dinner compared to Kylo’s family. They’d make it to Kylo’s with plenty of time to spare, knowing his...laidback family.

Hux didn’t have a terrible childhood. No, it was bland and dull, by the books. He was the perfect child. His house was quiet with just his mother and father and him in a rather large house. He didn’t go out much, rather finding peace in solitude and books. His parents didn’t push him to be social so he wasn’t. His grades were above satisfactory; mind the two mock exams he’d been too lost in other things to study for. There wasn’t much more to say about his childhood.

Kylo, on the other hand, his childhood was anything but boring. He had a rather large family. Han and Leia had a bubbling personality that others seemed to flock to. Whether they be just friends or related by blood, they were considered family. Usually it was just Han, Leia, and Ben (that had been his birth name after all), but weekly they would have a larger family dinner with Uncle Luke and later, his daughter Rey. Her mother had passed away sometime in her early childhood so it her and Luke by themselves a lot. Han and Leia always invited them over.

Han was often away when Ben was younger and that had led to higher tensions at time, but he felt anything but lonely and unloved as a child. The fighting Han and Leia tried to hide, but in the silence of the night, it was difficult to keep quiet. They were both passionate people, they had their clashes, but by the time the week was out, they had kissed and made up.

Poe had been a neighbor Ben came to know pretty well. He would join them when his parents had to leave on business trips. Ben enjoyed the company and his parents easily accepted both him and his parents into their ever expanding family.

Kylo and Hux were used to seeing Kylo’s family several times throughout the year now. Holiday dinners were mandatory and this would be the seventh year together. It didn’t get any better for Hux. The dinners were loud and there were a lot of people. While he felt more than included in Kylo’s family, it could be overwhelming. Hux’s only reprieve was Kylo seemed to know exactly when to lead them up to Kylo’s old room to give them some quiet time.

Their home life was a mix of the two. While they could be inviting to their closest friends, they didn’t normally hold large dinners at their apartment. Kylo kept things where they were supposed to be most of the time while Hux let some things slide. It was a compromise.

Hux drove while Kylo fiddled with the car radio until they were both pleased with his choice. It was an hour drive out to the suburbs where Hux’s parents still resided. Each mile closer seemed to raise Hux’s anxiety and blood pressure; he hadn’t exactly told his parents about Kylo. Hell, he hadn’t told them he was gay.

With his family in mind, he had helped Kylo dress in his third best outfit: a pair of ironed black slacks, ironed white button-down, a nice deep red tie (he kept fiddling with it in the car), topped off with his black suit jacket. Hux personally loved the way his suit jacket fit his shoulders and waist. It would definitely encourage a reward for Kylo behaving at his parents’ house later that night. Hux, himself, was dressed in his best, afraid his parents would know if he’d done otherwise.

As if Kylo could sense Hux’s apprehension, he pulled his right hand off the steering wheel to lace his fingers between Hux’s. They were about ten minutes away when Hux finally spoke. “Can you do me a favor for the next couple of hours?”

“I won’t make any inappropriate comments.”

“Or mention anything about our personal life, really.”

“There’s no reason to be nervous.”

“You don’t know my family.”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine, Hux.”

“Armitage. I won’t be the only ‘Hux’ there.”

“No, but you are _my_ Hux.” Kylo grinned while Hux rolled his eyes. “It’s strange, calling you Armitage.”

“It’s strange,” Hux teased, “you calling me by my last name.”

“You don’t care for Armitage either. Really, you should _thank_ me for not calling you Army.”

“Do not. I will spoon your tongue out of your mouth.”

“I don’t think—“

“I will make it work.”

With that, they sat in silence for the last five minutes. Hux’s hand didn’t leave Kylo’s until he was forced to remove his seatbelt and hesitate before going in. The house was of average size for the area. White, pristine exterior with some sort of flowery garden in front filled with bright, colorful plants. The front porch was as pristine as the rest of the place appeared and Kylo almost felt bad for stepping over such spotless wood.

Hux climbed up the steps slowly, dragging his feet as much as he could, before stepping up to ring the doorbell. Not long after, Hux’s mother answered the door with a thin, tight smile.

“Oh, darling, you needn’t ring the bell. You’re always welcome,” she said with a tone that sounded forced. Kylo could see the resemblance with the long, straight red strands of hair falling around her shoulders and the strong facial features with a slight softness to it.

She didn’t offer Hux any sort of physical greeting, instead stepped back to allow them entry. Hux removed his shoes before stepping into the carpeted doorway. Kylo hesitantly did the same, grateful he grabbed decent looking socks that morning.

The interior of the house matched the outside. It was so brilliantly white with an air of coldness to it. Even Hux seemed to feel cold next to Kylo. It made him shiver as Hux immediately offered to help his father with setting the table.

Kylo hung back and politely held his hand out to Mrs. Hux. She tentatively shook his hand while Kylo murmured, “Nice to meet you, ma’am.” ‘Polite. Be polite.’ He had a small voice telling him not to move at all, that he’d do something wrong and screw the entire evening up. “Do you mind if I..?” Kylo moved back towards the sofa. “Unless there’s something I can help with?”

“No. Please, feel free.” Her voice was lower than Kylo had expected, a pleasant tone but frigid nonetheless. She sat down in a chair opposite him; she seemed to be studying him. “So you’re Armitage’s...friend.”

“Fiancé, Mother,” Hux said over his shoulder.

“Right,” she said dismissively. “How long have you known Armitage?”

“Since freshmen year?” Kylo and Hux had attended the same college and met through friends, but the first couple of years were them saying the odd word to one another. It wasn’t until junior year, at some point, when they had actually talked one-on-one and discovered some sort of attraction that had been very inconvenient at the time.

“First semester, actually,” Hux added. Leave it to him to have the exact month, day, and time of when they first locked eyes. Another facet of their relationship, Hux remembered anniversaries, important dates, while Kylo barely managed to remember Hux’s birthday the third year around. Hux didn’t complain; he rather liked it this way. He could surprise Kylo with a simple dinner and Kylo would spend the evening guessing what important date he missed this time. It was a fun game rather than annoyance. “We’ve been living together since graduation.”

“I see. You didn’t mention him last time you were home.”

“That was seven years ago, Mother. There was nothing to mention at the time.”

“He can get quite embarrassed telling people about me,” Kylo said sheepishly as a joke. It only got worse when no one so much as chuckled. Instead, he could feel Hux’s mother assessing him, probably already deeming him unfit for their son.

“So, this place is quite fantastic.” Kylo just wanted the scathing gaze off of him.

“It’s pleasant,” she agreed. “Quiet, usually.”

“Much quieter since Armitage left, huh?” He internally cringed after another attempted joke. Even Hux threw him a look. ‘Stop trying to make jokes!’ Kylo could hear as if Hux had actually said it.

“He wasn’t a loud child.”

“What was he like?” He gave a little sigh to have something to ask about. “As a child, I mean.” He heard a slight grumbling from Hux but nothing specifically heard.

She looked towards Hux before she answered. “He spent most of his time in the library at school. He was quite the avid reader.”

“What about his friends?”

Her head tilted slightly. “He didn’t bring friends home.”

“You wouldn’t let me,” Hux murmured. He had finished helping and was settling in next to Kylo, a few inches between them and no physical contact. “I didn’t have many friends anyways.”

“He’s definitely well-mannered. I’m sure he got that from the two of you,” Kylo said in a tense voice. This truly was uncomfortable.

“You’ve gotten better at the non-vocal judgment,” Hux said. He never would have dreamed of speaking to his parents in such a tone, but her distaste of Kylo was starting to get on his nerves. Or rather, the defensive, protective feeling towards Kylo was nagging at him.

“Opposites attract, it seems in this case,” Hux’s father sat in the other opposing chair, nowhere near Hux’s mother. Had it been Kylo’s parents, they would have shared at least one kiss already. Hux looked genuinely surprised.

“Definitely,” Kylo said with a smile. Hux slid a hand between Kylo’s palm and his thigh. Between his fingers, Kylo could feel the warm, simple gold band on Hux’s finger as he closed his fingers around Hux’s hand.

“It’s an interesting arrangement, certainly, but not an unpleasant one,” Hux said.

“Kylo, was it? What do you do for a living?” Mr. Hux asked. Hux’s shoulders fell slightly as he exhaled in a quick breath.

“I help illustrate certain books. Some children’s books, a couple of textbooks, and some photography books.” Really, it was impressive how far he had gotten after getting his degree. Hux would have scoffed at anyone working towards any sort of art degree before. ‘Do you realize how limited that field is?’ But Kylo made it work. He was doing what he loved to do and he was happier for it.

“Really?” His father looked at Kylo in disbelief. “You _draw_ for a living?”

“And photography,” Kylo added weakly. He never found himself ashamed of his career before, but the tone was one that Hux used the first time he realized Kylo’s major back in sophomore year.

“He’s a great artist,” Hux defended.

“But surely there’s a steadier career option.”

“Sure, there’s loads. But how many people can say they enjoy what they do?” Hux sounded like he had thought of this before, as if he knew he’d have to defend Kylo’s choices to his parents.

“What good is enjoyment if you’re—“

“We’re fine,” Hux cut off his father. “We’re actually more than fine. He’s done well for himself. And he’s worked hard to get there.”

“What are you doing, Armitage? We haven’t talked since you’ve been in college.”

Kylo grinned proudly as Hux answered. “I finished up my biochemistry degree and got a job working as a lab tech in a corporation. Now I help manage all the work we do there.”

“Boy, does he look good in a lab coat.” That earned Kylo a sharp knock of his thigh by Hux’s knee. “He also—“ Hux dug his fingertips into the back of Kylo's hand with a short shake of the head. “But—“

“That’s it,” Hux said with a satisfied nod. Kylo wanted to mention the thing he loved most about Hux, the minor Kylo had pushed Hux to complete, the few classes he truly enjoyed. He had actually found time in the last five years to get himself trained and certified in sign, a secondary job he enjoyed far more than his experiments.

“Working your way up, that’s good,” his father nodded approvingly.

“Do you want to see the rest of the house?” Hux turned to Kylo to ask. Kylo nodded; anything to get out of this awkward situation.

Hux dropped Kylo’s hand as they stood, but placed it briefly on the small of Kylo’s back as he climbed the stairs ahead of Hux. All of the floors were covered in white carpet that felt soft under Kylo’s socks and muted their footsteps.

“Parents’ room,” Hux pointed down the hall to closed door at the end. “One bathroom, next to it. Dad’s study, or something like that. I’m still not sure what he closed himself away for.” Hux led him down the opposite side, away from those doors. “Spare bedroom for family. Not really used that often. A small library.” Hux kept going but Kylo pushed the door open further. The walls were covered in books, some looking older and some looking shiny and new. He hadn’t expected to see so many books in a home, but it did seem to make sense in this house.

Hux came back to wait patiently by Kylo’s shoulder. “I’m guessing you’ve read most of these.”

“By the time I was fifteen, yes.”

“Medical journals included?” Kylo asked as he saw them on the left side.

“Yes. The kind of stuff you wouldn’t be expected to understand without some sort of introduction to it. I shouldn’t have had to know it at fourteen.”

“You would have gotten bored and looked through them anyways,” Kylo guessed. Hux didn’t deny it, but did pull his arm gently.

“Second bathroom, you’ll probably prefer to use this one if needed. And, lastly, my old room.” Hux pushed the door open for Kylo. Just like the rest of the house, it was covered in white carpet with a plain bed and desk on opposite sides. A dresser was next to the closet at the foot of the bed and a window filtered bright sunlight through a thin, white drape.

“It’s definitely bright.”

Hux snorted. “Waking up with a hangover would have been terrible in this room.” Kylo tried to stifle a nervous laugh.

“I understand you not wanting to come home and I promise I’ll never ask again.”

“I’m sure you won’t after that,” Hux agreed.

“But it’s good this way. It’s kind of like closure. They got what they wanted, a glimpse into your life now, and you got what you needed, them to see you’re doing just fine for yourself.” Kylo pressed his front against Hux’s back with his chin rested on his shoulder and his arms around Hux’s middle. “Just an hour and a half more. Oh, and don’t eat too much. My parents will never let you leave if you don’t eat at least one piece of pie. They say you’re too skinny.” Kylo pressed a kiss to his head.

“I like your family better.”

“I know. This makes them look like angels.”

“I wouldn’t go that far.”

“Still. At least they make you feel welcome.” Hux nodded in agreement. “As much as I’d love to stay up here, perhaps if we go down, they’ll let us leave early.”

 

The next hour and fifteen minutes, because Hux _was_ counting, was filled with the same awkward, tense feeling. Silence became common, thankfully. Hux got away with not eating much, as he did during his childhood. Kylo, on the other hand, hadn’t taken his own advice. Then again, Kylo could eat his own weight in food sometimes. Hux was mildly disgusted but impressed when he did so. They skipped on dessert, letting them leave fifteen minutes early.

Only after he had driven down the road and turned did he let the sigh of relief drop from his lips. “Never again,” he vowed. Kylo nodded.

“I am absolutely okay with never doing that again.” After a short pause, Kylo finally asked, “Why didn’t you want to tell them about being an interpreter?”

Hux shrugged. “They’d ask why I even finished the minor with so many other classes to worry about.”

“You liked them. What other reason is there?”

“How does it help you in the lab? Why are you focusing on something so ‘pointless’? Where would it even get you? Not to mention my parents certainly hold the idea that deaf means disabled and I am not getting into that discussion with them.”

“It’s my favorite thing about you, though. You should be able to tell your parents.”

“Kylo, it’s fine. Think of it this way, I didn’t tell them, therefore they cannot ruin it for me.”

It took another forty-five minutes to get to Kylo’s parents’ house. It had started to snow after leaving Hux’s parents’ house, lightly at first then more heavily. 

Kylo’s family’s house was in a more open area surrounded by fields on all sides. It was a comfortable place. Upon pulling up, their three dogs came bounding out and waiting patiently by a car door. Kylo was pounced on by a yellow lab with a few reddish hairs on his back, Bee-Bee, as they called him. He was the most excitable one. Hux patted the blue Australian Sheppard, Artie. Behind him was a hesitant golden lab, Caesar (or C for short), that Hux also patted quickly.

“Poe! Come get your dog!” Kylo yelled.

“BB, come on, girl,” Poe also came bounding over to grab BB’s collar. “Sorry,” he said sheepishly.

“You do realize that dog is male, right?” Kylo said as he pulled off the suit jacket and threw it in the back seat. He began pulling at his tie.

“She gets upset if I call her boy.”

“You’re insane.”

“You try it then.” Poe let go of the collar and BB sat nicely next to him. Kylo finished pulling his tie loose, undid the first couple buttons and relaxed the collar. Hux, too, removed his jacket and tie and rolled up the sleeves to his forearms.

“How have you been?” Kylo asked pleasantly.

“Fine, how about you?”

“It’s been good.” Kylo pulled him into a hug which BB tried getting in on. Kylo pushed him off with a quick “Down, boy.” That earned him a growl and flattened ears. Kylo turned so Poe was between him and BB. “You weren’t kidding.”

Poe just shrugged. “How are you, Hux?” he asked as Hux joined them, Artie and C in tow.

With a bit of a smile and some reluctance, Hux also hugged Poe. “It’s been alright. Long day.”

“It’s been busy over here all day. You know,” Poe looked towards Kylo.

“I do.” Kylo nodded. He put more distance between himself and BB before taking Hux’s hand and walking down the driveway. It was so much easier to breathe in this kind of relaxed environment. As much as Kylo complained about going home, he greeted everyone with hugs and some kisses. It was clear that this was home, or used to be.

Out back, there was a large open space with trees interspersed around the edges. It was peaceful outside, or it would be if there were less people. But Hux had found himself growing a fondness for many of Kylo’s family.

Rey was the first one to wrap her deceptively strong arms around Hux’s neck. She was closer to twenty-one now. Finn clapped a hand on Hux’s shoulder right after Rey backed away. They’d been good friends since high school, Finn having introduced Poe and Rey, his two best friends. She was apprehensive of people at first, but after five years of Kylo bringing Hux home, she had gotten somewhat used to him. Unlike Poe, who was open to everyone, she had to bring herself to trust Hux. She still was apprehensive around him at times.

Hux followed Kylo into the house. It was an average house but inside contained everything that made that house a home. The living room had the furniture moved to the edges of the room to make the room more open. Kylo and Hux both removed their shoes and left them on the mat by the door. 

Inside, the house was warm from everyone relaxing in the living room and the fireplace on the opposite side of the room. Through the doorway, Kylo could see Leia at the stove with Han on the other side of the small kitchen, clearing the counter top. She put the wooden spoon in her hand down with one of the largest smiles Hux had ever seen.

“Hi Mom,” Kylo said with a grin himself.

“Oh, it’s good to see you, Ben!”

Kylo coughed quietly after she let go of him.

“Kylo, right. Sorry sweetie.”

“It’s only been twenty years,” Kylo muttered to himself as Leia turned to give Hux a hug, too.

“Hey, kiddo,” Han threw over his shoulder with a goofy grin. Hux had to admit, it wasn’t hard to see a resemblance, as much as Kylo hated to hear that.

“Do you need any help, Mom?”

“Not at the moment, no. Perhaps later.”

“Oh, we also brought gifts. Forgot them in the car,” Kylo said sheepishly.

“I’ll grab them,” Hux said with a pat to Kylo’s lower back.

Kylo could remember when Rey was younger. It would be quite the ruckus, with her running circles around everyone until the sugar cookies wore off and she fell asleep almost under the tree. Luke would have to carry her to the car while Poe took up in Kylo’s old room. That had been towards the beginning of Kylo’s college career, when he would do anything to be away from home.

By the time Hux had gotten back, Kylo had settled into the couch next to Finn, who still looked somewhat uncomfortable around Luke, Han, Leia, and both of Poe’s parents. Someone had turned on the radio to play Christmas music not so softly in the background. As much as Kylo insisted he _hated_ Christmas music, Hux could see him mouthing along with the words.

Had it been their choice, Kylo and Hux probably wouldn’t have celebrated Christmas at all, aside from a quiet night in. Having already had an emotionally draining day, he decided to sit on the arm of the couch next to Kylo. It wasn’t long before he felt Kylo’s warm arm encircle his waist and pull him down, half on the arm and half on Kylo’s lap.

It was only about five in the afternoon and already dark, which made it feel much later than it actually was. Around them, Kylo’s family was laughing and sharing stories. Hux felt quite content in just listening than participating but that was unheard of in the Organa-Solo household.

“Oh, you should hear about all the things Hux has had to translate at one point or another. Late night shifts are the most interesting, apparently,” Kylo offered. This rewarded him with a quick glare from Hux.

“Interesting, yes. Personal, definitely,” Hux agreed. Kylo slipped his hand underneath Hux’s and closed between his fingers. “Most calls aren’t as exciting as Kylo makes them out to be.”

The topic moved on quickly after that, onto stories about Kylo’s childhood. “He’d tell us all there was a Force that surrounded everything and he had to master it,” Han chuckled.

Kylo’s face flushed slightly. “I was five. That’s what children do.”

“Until you were fifteen?”

To be fair, Kylo had strong empathetic qualities. He could read a person’s mood (and thoughts sometimes, Hux swore) as easily as breathing. It could be inconvenient when someone was in a foul mood. It would make sense if he believed it to be an abnormal force to deal with as a child with no one to understand enough to talk to him about it. But Hux didn’t say any of this. If he gripped Kylo’s hand a little tighter neither said anything about it.

“He had a strong imagination,” Leia said fondly.

“Still does,” Hux said in a surprisingly loving tone. The color in Kylo’s cheeks darkened just so. Kylo didn’t try to hide his past, nor Hux his, but it wasn’t a topic they spent a lot of time on. Hux definitely knew more about Kylo’s childhood than Kylo his, but that was from spending the last several years visiting Kylo's family. It had only been the last five years that Kylo got back into contact with his family.

Holidays had usually been a sore spot for Hux. Everyone focused on spending it with their families, always happy to return home to their loving family and celebrations. Hux, when he was a child, his family would celebrate Christmas at least, but a celebration in the Hux household entitled a formal dinner rather than spending time with one another or just having fun. It was uptight and suffocating. Hearing his peers rave about their times with their families, playing games and _enjoying_ Christmas just seemed to make Hux bitter. Even when he got older and had his first Christmas alone at university, he discovered it was better just to think of Christmas as another day of the year.

That was until Kylo came along. It wasn’t as though Kylo was his first relationship, but it was Hux’s first _meaningful_ relationship. They had been together only a few months when Christmas came around and Kylo, used to spending it alone himself, suggested they make a night of it.

Making a night of it included a night in Kylo’s dorm. Most of the students had left for the break, but they never did. That night would mark the third year they both spent Christmas on campus and away from family and friends. Making a night of it meant Kylo cleaning his dorm and buying candles and setting out non-plastic dishes. Kylo had tried to cook, but Hux ended up helping and a mess had been made. Dinner had been average at best and the exchange of gifts had been rather pathetic. Hux got Kylo an obnoxious holiday tie while Kylo got Hux a rather appalling Christmas sweater. It was the best Christmas they had had and that was before Kylo had told Hux he loved him for the first time, only months after getting together.

Seven long, fantastic years later, here they were, celebrating Christmas with Kylo’s loving family. The lights on the tree were flickering slowly while the fireplace continued to throw both heat and light in the already bright room. The ambiance was cheerful, loud, and bright; everything both Kylo and Hux were not, yet found themselves relaxing into such an environment.

Rey had made herself comfortable on the floor with her back against both Finn and Poe’s legs. She had a dog on either side of her while BB sprawled across Finn and Poe’s lap. Leia was sitting in a chair next to the fireplace with Han on the arm rest. Well, that was until ‘Blue Christmas’ came on and Han decided to pull Leia up and pull her close to sway to the beat.

Hux hadn’t exactly witnessed much affection between his parents, yet another change of pace with Kylo’s parents.

“Now I see where you get your dorky sense of romance,” Hux leaned back to murmur. Kylo had done the same with Hux on that first Christmas night, just to a different song, Kylo’s favorite, Last Christmas. Kylo’s response was to wrap both arms around Hux’s waist and rest his chin on Hux’s shoulder.

Before the song had ended, a timer beeped in the kitchen. Leia separated herself from Han to head into the kitchen.

“Hey, Ben, I could use that help. Unless you want tonight’s dinner to be tomorrow’s breakfast.”

“Yeah, of course.” Kylo slipped out from under Hux to join his mother in the kitchen while BB climbed over Hux to get to the door. Rey popped up to leave all three canines out into the fenced backyard while Han took the seat Leia had been in.

“How’s the racing been going?” Hux heard himself ask in the sudden lull.

“Ah, I’ve recently given that up to spend more time here at home.”

“Hard to believe. You’ve seemed to have led a busy life. Has to be difficult to suddenly settle down.”

Han chuckled. “Settle down? With this one?” he gestured towards Leia in the kitchen with a fond smile. “As if she’d let me _settle down_.”

“Ah, yes, right. How’re the politics?” Hux had some knowledge regarding this topic, between his family’s involvement when he was a child and his involvement translating for the occasional politician.

“Aggressive,” Han responded. “It’s ridiculous how _competitive_ these people get.”

“Must be hard on Senator Organa.”

Han grinned almost proudly. “Hard on Leia? Try hard on everyone else. She might just be the most competitive of ‘em all.”

“Might?” Leia chipped in from the doorway.”

“I dunno, that Casterfo fellow has some spunk to him,” Han grinned as he teased her.

“He’s young. New. Of course he’s energetic.”

“He is arrogant,” Han mused. “Anyways, you’ve been talking about retiring, too.”

“Well,” she turned back to resume stirring a pot, “Perhaps I just need a short vacation.”

Han smiled with that fond smile again until the dogs all came running back inside, getting snow everywhere. Artie plopped down in front of the fireplace while C sat next to Han’s chair. BB excitedly ran from one end of the house to the other until Poe called her over.

“How’s college going, Rey? You’re in your second year, right?” Hux asked. She’d been unusually quiet that evening.

She nodded from her place between Finn and Poe on the floor.

“Did you find a major you wanted to stick with? Last I heard, you were in the explorative program.”

She nodded again, this time with a huge smile. “Actually, yeah! I attempted nursing for a short time, very short time. There was also that period of time I wanted to try psychology, but engineering seems to have worked out quite well. I’m in my second semester and I love it!”

“I never understood the whole adding letters to numbers thing,” Kylo piped in from the kitchen. “I got the basic idea, but anything past that, I’m lost. The work you were doing in your senior year, Hux, I was amazed.”

“It wasn’t that difficult if you knew what you were doing. You weren’t taught the material so it would seem difficult to you.”

“I mean, it’s not easy to begin with. The second semester of intro Physics was a little rough,” Rey said. “Managed to pass with a solid B plus.”

“Impressive,” Hux agreed.

“Pysch was easier and more interesting at times, but I kind of enjoy the challenge and the creative problem-solving.”

“Are you looking more towards mechanical or theoretical engineering?”

“Mechanical. I like the hands-on part, seeing a creation I helped design come to life is more appealing than working with imaginary and astronomical numbers.”

Hux nodded in agreement. Designing an experiment and actually being able to test it out felt more rewarding than just proving the theory. “What about you, Poe? How’s the air force treating you?”

The small talk continued for a good half an hour. Finn was in his last year of school. The ROTC program he was in would expect him to deploy after graduation for at least one tour and while Rey seemed nervous about it, Poe was more relaxed. Finn saw it this way: if not for the ROTC program, he wouldn’t have been able to graduate with a degree in military sciences therefore, he owed them at least that.

The topic changed to a lighter topic after that discussion. It was nearing seven by the time the turkey was done and Hux was pulled out into the dining room to help clear and set the table. Kylo paused in the doorway and pulled Hux’s wrist to get him to turn around.

“What?” Hux asked. Kylo glanced upward at the small green leaves with bright red berries. “Really?”

Kylo began to pout. Hux eventually rolled his eyes, glanced back into the living room to make sure no one was watching them, then quickly pressed a kiss to the corner of Kylo’s pouting mouth. Kylo frowned and crossed his arms, still refusing to move.

“That’s it?” Kylo asked in a quiet voice.

“What more do you want?” Hux asked just as quietly. Kylo took a small step forward, towards Hux, and flattened Hux’s shirt over his chest. Hux always acted so shy and flustered when it came affection in the presence of others. Kylo knew his family wasn’t paying attention to them and if they were, they didn’t care.

Thinking back to the dinner they shared with Hux’s parents, Kylo almost let Hux off the hook. But, before he could do so, Hux gave in to his loving companion’s whims. He let his hand slide up from Kylo’s clavicle to just below his ear and pulled him into a deep kiss, one that left Kylo’s face matching Hux’s embarrassed blush.

“See, now, was that so hard?” Kylo teased as he lightly bumped his nose against Hux’s. With a last brush of his thumb across Kylo’s cheek, he turned to begin clearing the table.

The placement of the mistletoe was definitely an interesting choice, between everyone entering and exiting the dining room on multiple occasions. It was all in good fun. Han even snapped a few pictures, one of Kylo stooping to kiss Leia’s cheek, one of Poe getting a face full of BB’s tongue and nose, and Rey between Poe and Finn, both pressing a kiss to her cheek simultaneously. Rey got a picture of Kylo being forced to kiss Luke’s cheek and one of Han and Leia sharing a loving kiss. It was actually kind of adorable. 

 

Dinner at the Organa-Solo household was much chattier than the Hux household ever was. Though, Hux knew as such. Bowls and plates of food were passed around for the first couple minutes, traded and switched until they came to rest somewhere in the middle of the large expandable table. Hell, rolls were tossed from one end of the table to the other. It probably wasn’t the most hygienic, but it was _fun_. There was no way that would _ever_ happen with Hux’s family.

Somewhere, somehow, Hux got a pair of reindeer antlers placed on his head and a matching red nose, much to Kylo’s delight.

“Oh, wow, it’s really coming down,” Han commented while Hux and Kylo were clearing away dishes. “You two might be stuck here for the night.”

“I suppose so.”

Had they been stuck at Hux’s parents’ house, both Kylo and Hux would have been _extremely_ uncomfortable. As it were, they would have to sleep on the floor in the living room or the basement. Both have slept in worse places.

Poe’s parents had passed away when he turned eighteen, both of them within the year. It’d been a tough year on Poe and without Han and Leia, he would have had a much tougher time. While the house technically became his, left to him by his parents, he had spent the time he wasn’t with the air force with Rey or with Han and Leia. While he could have made it back home, the quarter mile down the road, he decided to stay with Rey and Finn.

Luke would take the couch, as he had many times before. That was the reason Rey had gotten Kylo’s old room and he was sent to the basement.

It seemed full stomachs and hot cocoa seemed to do the trick. Han and Leia had excused themselves first to head to bed. Rey had insisted on staying awake since everyone else was awake, but five minutes later, she had her head resting on Finn’s shoulder and was out cold.

Finn had tried to shake her awake to no avail.

“Yeah, good luck with that,” Kylo said from his spot in front of the fireplace. He, too, had his head on a shoulder (Hux’s) but he wasn’t anywhere near sleeping.

“Guess that’s our cue,” Poe said lightheartedly. He had to move the dog from his lap so he could lift Rey from the couch. Rey, being the heavy sleeper she was, barely even stirred at being jostled.

Kylo and Hux decided to make their exit soon after. The basement was much colder, but Kylo dug into the pile of blankets kept in the corner.

“I know you’d rather be at home—“ Kylo started as he offered Hux a couple thick, quilted blankets. Hux helped him spread out the largest one on the concrete ground.

“This is fine.”

“You’re uncomfortable here.”

“It’s just for tonight anyhow. There’s worse ways to spend Christmas night.”

“There are better ways, too.” Kylo sat down next to Hux. He threw one pillow behind him and handed the other to Hux.

“Warmer ways, I’m sure.”

“You’re always cold,” Kylo said with a quiet chuckle. Christmas music was still playing upstairs loud enough for Kylo and Hux to hear over the quietness of the house. “C’mon, up you get.” Kylo pushed himself up first then offered a hand to Hux who looked at the hand skeptically.

“It’s late.”

“Yep.” Kylo kept his hand out until Hux grabbed on reluctantly. He grabbed one of the thicker blankets from the ground, wrapped it around Hux’s shoulders, then his own, pulling their bodies together. “Better?” Kylo asked as he wrapped his arms around Hux’s waist. With a sigh, Hux put his arms around Kylo’s neck loosely and held the blanket corners in place behind Kylo’s neck.

Honestly, he shouldn’t have been surprised. After that first Christmas they’d spent together, this had become a habit. With Kylo humming in his ear along with the tune and swaying their combined weight left and right slightly out of beat, Hux relaxed into his hold, his head dropping drowsily onto Kylo’s broad shoulder.

“Much,” Hux said into Kylo’s neck.

“Hey, Hux.”

“Hmm?”

“Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas, Kylo,” Hux responded sleepily.

**Author's Note:**

> Haha, guess who doesn't know what Christmas family dinners are like? .-. This was one of the three prompts I had to choose from and this one seemed to be the one I could write the most for. I apologize if this wasn't what you were looking for/awkward enough. It could have been so much better, truthfully.
> 
> I'd hoped to fill a couple of the prompts, because the other two prompts were fantastic ideas that would have been hella fun to fill, but school ended so late in December, I didn't have time to fill them, too.


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